UPDATE (October 5, 2022):
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – The victim in a recent fatal shooting has been identified.
Officials with the FWPD say that a 16-year-old, who has not been named, shot and killed Yael Edu Esparza, 19, on Sunday off West Wildwood Avenue. The teen is now facing a charge of Murder.
The Fort Wayne Police Department released the following:
The 16-year-old male juvenile that was arrested for the Oct. 2nd shooting of Yael Edu Esparza is being charged with Murder. He has not yet been waived into adult court, but there will be a hearing soon to request he be waived into adult court.
The coroner says that Esparza’s death was a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office released the following:
The autopsy has been completed and notification has been made to the next of kin for the male victim that was found within his vehicle in the 300 block of West Wildwood Avenue, in Fort Wayne, on Sunday, October 2, 2022, at approximately 21:18 hours. The decedent has been positively identified as Yael Edu Esparza, male, hispanic, 19 years of age from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Mr. Esparza was the operator of a motor vehicle when an unknown perpetrator fired numerous rounds at him. Fort Wayne Police Department, the Fort Wayne Fire Department and Three Rivers Ambulance responded to the scene. Yael Edu Esparza was transported to Lutheran Hospital where death was pronounced.
Cause of Death has been determined to be Multiple Gunshot Wounds and the Manner of Death is Homicide. Yael Edu Esparza is the 19th Homicide for Fort Wayne and Allen County in 2022.
The incident remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Allen County Coroner’s Office.
ORIGINAL STORY:
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – One man is dead after a shooting Sunday night south of downtown Fort Wayne.
Police say officers responded to the 300 block of West Wildwood, close to South Wayne Elementary just after 9:15 and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was taken to the hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.
Police say a suspect – an underage boy – was apprehended a short time later on W Leith Street.
FWPD officials released the following:
On October 2nd, 2022 at approximately 9:18 PM, officers with the Fort Wayne Police Department responded to the 300 block of W Wildwood Ave, regarding a male being shot. FWPD arrived on scene and located a male suffering from gunshot wounds.
Responding officers rendered aid, while awaiting the arrival of medics, who later transported the male to a local hospital and pronounced him deceased on arrival.
Witnesses provided suspect information, assisting K9 and Gang and Violent Crime Unit detectives in apprehending the suspect, a male, juvenile in the 200 block of W Leith St.
FWPD Homicide and Crime Scene Technicians were paged to process the scene. This incident remains under investigation by Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Coroner’s Office.
